10-YEAR PAYOFF CURVECumulative economic payoff after graduation
−$56,992at year 10Net gainInvestment not yet recovered
NET GAIN$0UNRECOVERED
Public · COLLEGE PAYOFF
Towson University
Towson, MD · 60 field-and-degree records
Earnings reported for 57 · Federal debt reported for 41
Based onObserved earnings + college priceEstimate10-year payoff
Estimated 10-year payoff
Negative payoff
−$56,992 over 10 years
Modeled from observed year-5 institution earnings and the institution-wide average net price over four years.
13.0 yrsTime to earn back the modeled cost
−23%Estimated return after 10 years
$64,266Observed earnings · year 5
$3,165Highest annual price before payoff reaches $0
The price benchmark would need to fall by $14,248 per year to reach it.
Start with your question
What do you want to understand?
ECONOMIC INVESTMENT → PAYBACK
Estimated payoff over ten years.
The scenario counts direct price and earnings forgone upfront, then applies the reported annual earnings premium.
FEDERAL COST DATA
Four ways to read college price.
Annual college-wide figures from the current College Scorecard release. Average net price covers full-time, first-time undergraduates receiving federal aid; public-college figures use in-state students. Program tuition and individual aid offers may differ.
PUBLISHED STUDENT BUDGET · 2024–25
What makes up the annual price?
Sticker-price components reported to IPEDS. Grants and scholarships are not subtracted here.
Living off campus: $16,260 housing and food allowance plus $3,782 in other expenses.
Do not confuse this with net price. Net price subtracts average grants and scholarships. DegreeVerdict continues to use the separately labeled average net price in its standard college ROI scenario.
PRICE SENSITIVITY
The price can change the verdict.
Hold observed earnings constant and see how the modeled ten-year payoff changes as annual price rises.
← Negative payoff$0Positive payoff →
$0Annual price+$12,660
$8,000Annual price−$19,340
$16,000Annual price−$51,340
$17,000Current college-wide context−$55,340
$24,000Annual price−$83,340
$32,000Annual price−$115,340
$40,000Annual price−$147,340
HOW STUDENTS ATTEND · 2023-24
Online study is a meaningful part of the student experience.
IPEDS enrollment counts show course delivery across the whole institution. They do not indicate whether a specific degree can be completed online.
Institution-level attendance context from IPEDS. Program delivery is reported separately on degree pages and in the program directory. These figures do not enter ROI.
College identity and local contextAccreditation, institution type, dual enrollment and state prices
COLLEGE AT A GLANCE
Institution details
Current federal characteristics describing the college, not the outcomes of a specific program.
- Accreditor
- Middle States Commission on Higher Education
- Main award level
- Bachelor’s degrees
- Campus setting
- City
- Admissions
- Selective admission
- Delivery
- Campus or mixed delivery
- Federal designation
- No special designation reported
DUAL-ENROLLMENT CONTEXT · 2024
66 high-school students took college courses.
IPEDS counts students enrolled in college credit while still in high school. A large dual-enrollment population can shape headline enrollment figures, especially at community colleges.
This is participation, not a college completion rate. It does not indicate how many students later enrolled after high school, earned a credential or entered the workforce.
STATE PRICE CONTEXT · 2024
Prices in Maryland run 5% above the U.S. level.
BEA Regional Price Parities compare price levels across states. A value of 100 equals the national average.
What it costs and what graduates earn
$17,413Average net price / year
$28,535Cost of attendance
$18,718Median federal student debt · completer borrowers
$198/moPublished 10-year payment estimate
$64,266Median earnings · year 5 after completion
69.5%Completion rate
82.0%Admission rate
1,095Average SAT score
24ACT midpoint
16,136Student size
Debt covers federal student-loan borrowers who completed. It does not include Parent PLUS or private loans. We show admissions scores only when a valid federal value is available.
What the numbers say about Towson University
What does Towson University cost?
Towson University reports an average annual net price of $17,413 after grants and scholarships. This is an institution-wide average, not an individual aid offer.
What do Towson University graduates earn?
The observed median earnings figure is $64,266 5 years after completion. It describes a federal cohort, not a guaranteed starting salary.
How much federal debt do Towson University graduates have?
Completer borrowers report median cumulative federal student debt of $18,718. Parent PLUS and private loans are not included.
Is every degree at Towson University worth the same?
No. The current release contains 60 field-and-degree records for Towson University; 57 report year-4 earnings and 41 report federal debt. Outcomes can differ substantially by field and degree level.
DEBT AFTER COLLEGE
Are borrowers making progress?
Repayment progress, default and debt at exit describe different federal borrower cohorts. They are shown separately and do not change the ROI estimate.
Source: College Scorecard. Repayment progress is the share of borrowers who reduced principal by at least $1 at the stated measurement point. Debt covers federal student loans; Parent PLUS and private loans are excluded. Cohorts and reporting periods differ across measures.
Who studied here during the year
21,602Students enrolled at any point
17,881Undergraduate students
3,721Graduate students
Unduplicated students enrolled at any point from July 1, 2024 through June 30, 2025. This full-year measure is different from a fall headcount and does not enter ROI.
More student and earnings detailPrice by family income, retention, equity and common industries
WHO PAYS, WHO FINISHES, WHO EARNS
Outcomes are not the same for every family.
These federal cohorts add context that a single college average can hide. Missing figures remain unreported rather than estimated.
Complete within 150% of the expected time
72% received a Pell Grant within eight yearsMedian Parent PLUS debt
2,815 parent borrowers in the reported cohortMedian federal student debt
65% making progress in repayment after three yearsStudent family incomeMedian earnings after 10 yearsObserved federal cohorts
Lower income$59,959Earnings are not a guarantee
Middle income$63,835Earnings are not a guarantee
Higher income$67,171Earnings are not a guarantee
Three-year repayment progress
Lower income57%
Middle income66%
Higher income76%
Undergraduate student composition
White38%
Black36%
Hispanic12%
Asian7%
Source: College Scorecard, June 2026 release. Parent PLUS debt belongs to parents; student-debt measures exclude Parent PLUS and private loans. Cohort definitions differ by measure.
NATIONAL CONTEXT
How this college compares
Percentiles compare this institution with currently operating colleges that report the same federal measure.
WHAT STANDS OUT
A faster read on this college
These summaries use every reportable field-and-credential record at this institution. They do not fill privacy-suppressed outcomes.
EARNINGS OVER TIME
What graduates earned in later years
$48,563Year 1
$65,610Year 4
$64,266Year 5
Each year can represent a different federal cohort, so the points do not track the same people over time.
Your choice of degree can change the payoff.
Graduate earnings differ by field and credential, even within the same college.
1Computer Science · Master's Degree$149,3202Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions · Master's Degree$140,9763Computer Science · Bachelor's Degree$104,6534Accounting and Related Services · Master's Degree$94,5165Accounting and Related Services · Bachelor's Degree$91,2526Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing · Bachelor's Degree$91,0447Physics · Bachelor's Degree$90,4578Human Resources Management and Services · Master's Degree$90,315Observed year-4 earnings · compare the same field and credential across colleges
Programs that stand out against the same-degree benchmark
This view rewards performance relative to the same field and credential, not simply majors that pay more everywhere.
1Rehabilitation and Therapeutic ProfessionsBachelor's Degree · $77,953 reported+40%vs same-degree national median$24,000federal debt2Social Sciences, GeneralBachelor's Degree · $68,242 reported+28%vs same-degree national median$20,000federal debt3Rhetoric and Composition/Writing StudiesMaster's Degree · $68,342 reported+24%vs same-degree national medianNot availablefederal debt4Security Science and TechnologyBachelor's Degree · $71,484 reported+24%vs same-degree national medianNot availablefederal debt5Communication Disorders Sciences and ServicesBachelor's Degree · $72,365 reported+23%vs same-degree national median$21,981federal debt6Accounting and Related ServicesBachelor's Degree · $91,252 reported+20%vs same-degree national median$21,375federal debt
Comparable colleges in MD
Currently operating public institutions with the closest combination of annual net price and observed year-5 earnings. Similarity is descriptive, not a quality ranking.
Baltimore, MD
University of Baltimore
- Annual net price
- $13,868
- Observed earnings · year 5
- $64,727
- Modeled 10-year ROI
- -16%
Salisbury University
- Annual net price
- $17,743
- Observed earnings · year 5
- $60,422
- Modeled 10-year ROI
- -39%
Bowie State University
- Annual net price
- $19,298
- Observed earnings · year 5
- $61,427
- Modeled 10-year ROI
- -36%
Morgan State University
- Annual net price
- $14,985
- Observed earnings · year 5
- $59,150
- Modeled 10-year ROI
- -41%
Compare fields and degree levels
Showing the 40 highest-earning records from 60 field-and-degree records. Use the program directory to search the complete set.
| Major or field | Degree level | Earnings, year 4 | Federal debt | 2024–25 graduates |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Computer Science | Master's Degree | $149,320 | Not available | Not reported |
| Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions | Master's Degree | $140,976 | Not available | Not reported |
| Computer Science | Bachelor's Degree | $104,653 | $20,340 | Not reported |
| Accounting and Related Services | Master's Degree | $94,516 | Not available | Not reported |
| Accounting and Related Services | Bachelor's Degree | $91,252 | $21,375 | Not reported |
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing | Bachelor's Degree | $91,044 | $23,378 | Not reported |
| Physics | Bachelor's Degree | $90,457 | $24,625 | Not reported |
| Human Resources Management and Services | Master's Degree | $90,315 | Not available | Not reported |
| Health Services/Allied Health/Health Sciences, General | Master's Degree | $81,097 | Not available | Not reported |
| Biology, General | Master's Degree | $80,509 | Not available | Not reported |
| Business Administration, Management and Operations | Bachelor's Degree | $78,497 | $19,251 | 7 |
| Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions | Bachelor's Degree | $77,953 | $24,000 | 0 |
| Educational/Instructional Media Design | Master's Degree | $77,782 | Not available | Not reported |
| Economics | Bachelor's Degree | $76,509 | $18,838 | Not reported |
| Chemistry | Bachelor's Degree | $76,296 | $23,000 | Not reported |
| Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions | Master's Degree | $76,069 | Not available | Not reported |
| Computer and Information Sciences, General | Bachelor's Degree | $75,785 | $20,562 | 7 |
| Security Science and Technology | Master's Degree | $74,405 | Not available | Not reported |
| Mathematics | Bachelor's Degree | $72,409 | $25,000 | Not reported |
| Communication Disorders Sciences and Services | Bachelor's Degree | $72,365 | $21,981 | Not reported |
| Information Science/Studies | Bachelor's Degree | $72,049 | $25,000 | Not reported |
| Special Education and Teaching | Master's Degree | $71,563 | Not available | Not reported |
| Security Science and Technology | Bachelor's Degree | $71,484 | Not available | 0 |
| Psychology, General | Master's Degree | $70,748 | Not available | Not reported |
| Communication Disorders Sciences and Services | Master's Degree | $70,385 | Not available | Not reported |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas | Master's Degree | $69,571 | Not available | 0 |
| Rhetoric and Composition/Writing Studies | Master's Degree | $68,342 | Not available | Not reported |
| Social Sciences, General | Bachelor's Degree | $68,242 | $20,000 | Not reported |
| Health and Medical Administrative Services | Bachelor's Degree | $68,077 | $25,000 | 4 |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods | Master's Degree | $66,328 | Not available | 0 |
| Health Services/Allied Health/Health Sciences, General | Bachelor's Degree | $65,108 | $25,000 | 12 |
| Communication and Media Studies | Bachelor's Degree | $63,292 | $20,309 | Not reported |
| Social Sciences, Other | Bachelor's Degree | $62,559 | $20,500 | Not reported |
| Education, General | Master's Degree | $61,994 | Not available | Not reported |
| Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions | Bachelor's Degree | $61,911 | $23,717 | Not reported |
| Political Science and Government | Bachelor's Degree | $60,313 | $20,875 | Not reported |
| Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness | Bachelor's Degree | $58,624 | $22,250 | Not reported |
| International Relations and National Security Studies | Bachelor's Degree | $57,498 | $25,000 | Not reported |
| Natural Resources Conservation and Research | Bachelor's Degree | $57,388 | $22,750 | Not reported |
| Human Development, Family Studies, and Related Services | Bachelor's Degree | $57,295 | $20,500 | 12 |
Graduate counts come from IPEDS and group related majors into the same federal field. Missing earnings or debt values remain labeled as unavailable.
Search every Towson University program record →Earnings, price, completion and enrollment are observed federal measures. ROI, payoff and break-even are modeled scenarios built from those measures and fixed assumptions. College payoff is not the payoff of every degree at this school; use the program table for a more precise comparison.